Disclaimer:

I, Aslansphoenix declare that I do not own 'Peter Pan', Neverland or anything that you find familiar. Technically some of the characters did come from my head ... but I think they belong to Neverland just as much as any canon characters.

*/*/*

Author's Note

Thank-you for your patience.

Warning – This chapter involves some … misgendering. And pain from that. Mitchell lets his jerk side show a bit in this chapter.

*/*/*

"All Children Grow up Except One"

Everyone Knows about Neverland,
About the home of Peter Pan.

Second to the Right, and Straight on till Morning.
To the place between dreaming and awakening.

There are rules in Neverland
Rules that must be obeyed.

Boys forget much easier than Girls.
"No Girl can resist Peter Pan,
When he uses a specific voice."
One more thing, which is True ...
In Neverland, You learn all about You.

*/*/*

Chapter Eighteen

*/*/*

"Hey, don't be like that. Please. Come on Eliza, listen to me. The Captain is not what the stories paint him as, he's a proper gentleman, and I bet he'll be able to help. Let me just talk to him okay."

"Ugh Fine, but I'm not helping him find the hideout."

*/*/*

George woke up feeling relaxed. For all of two minutes – then Scruff landed a solid punch and a fun game of roughhousing began. It looked like it was going to be a great day … until the message came through that Eliza had been kidnapped.

It started simple enough; Mother-Margaret pulled apart the rough-housing boys (well the threat of not having breakfast did),then asked them if anyone had seen their Aunt Eliza, the Lost Boys had shrugged and Angela had stated "She probably just went out for an early morning walk, while it's still nice and quiet. She'll be back soon."

"Hmm, Maybe. Well, who wants breakfast?"

When Eliza wasn't back by midday, Mother-Margaret convinced Peter to search the island for her. Peter went out but in the late afternoon when he returned, he reported that couldn't spot her anywhere. No one admitted it, but all were starting to worry; it was odd for one of their number to be gone so long (not counting Peter).

It was late afternoon when, finally there was news.

George was on the floor trying to repair an old clock; he had finally convinced Tinkerbell to teach him how to tinker correctly. She eventually did so, while spouting a fair few insults at George, but nevertheless she seemed pleased by George's awe at her own work. George was trying to figure out where a random spring was supposed to go when a stray fairy with a message came flying in.

The little light of mauve revealed that a girl matching Eliza's description had been seen held captive on board the Jolly Roger.

Well, after that news there was no time to lose. The Lost Boys rushed around grabbing their weapons and yelling war-cries. There was a brief argument over if Margaret and Angela should be allowed to go, but Margaret just crossed her arms and gave The Look and Peter had relented. He then bravely lead the way; the boys were all full of confidence, no expecting any of what was to come.

*/*/*

It was not their first time fighting the Pirates, but it was the first time on the Jolly Roger. It made keeping your balance certainly more challenging. Peter had been the distraction, allowing his crew to swarm the sides of the ship.

Peter was fighting Hook, (naturally) and therefore the Lost Boys (and two girls) took on the rest of the Pirate crew.

George caught sight of the tied-up Eliza, and he and Scruff began to cause their own distraction so Mouse could sneak in and untie her. Mouse tripped and an ugly pirate descended upon him, but he was stopped by a rock to his head, thrown by Eliza.

"How dare you attack Mouse! He is a baby, and the only one to actually try and keep clean and I will not have you put your filth on him! I mean, really, when was the last time you bathed? I know you are pirates, but manners are everything! And more than that – bad form attacking someone when they are down."

Eliza stood there in the middle of the deck ranting and complaining. Admittedly (and understandably); the Pirates seemed more wary of that than they did of a bunch of fighting children. George had a moment to wonder at how easily Eliza had escaped her ropes, but before the thought could be examined, he was forced back into fighting against the big burly Pirate trying to kill him.

George was just getting into the game, when Margaret gave a cry of shock.

"Mitchell?"

"Hello, Maggie, I'm sorry you have to see this, but duty calls."

Margaret was gaping at a boy – one obviously not a Lost Boy (George did a quick headcount, and noted the others doing the same -yes they were all there). This new boy was tallish, dressed in pirate gear, probably the cabin boy, and George thought he looked a little snooty and arrogant. George also had the strangest feeling that he possibly knew this pirate boy.

But whoever he was, his presence with the pirates seemed to be upsetting Mother-Margaret. And that was enough for the Lost Boys to charge at this stranger.

Chaos continued, Pirates were falling over (Angela was fighting smart, setting traps and trip-lines, and staying out of the way of the swords). Peter and Captain Hook were locked into an intense battle, separated from the rest of the of the crew. The big burly pirate that George was fighting, used his height against him.

"Give up, Boy!"

George was going to respond with something about the pirate's foul breath, when a voice interrupted them.

"That's not a boy!"

It was the snooty Pirate boy, who was had made his way through the group. George stared at him in confusion, at the words, and at the sense of déjà vu that enveloped him. Confusion that grew when the boy kept speaking.

"That is my cousin, SHE is a girl. A girl pretending to be a boy."

"No, I'm not." George's voice sounded like a lost whine, but George couldn't focus on broader things; his view was swaying and narrowing down to the words being sneered at him by the Pirate boy. They jeeringly repeated themselves in his head.

"Yes you are - Georgina."

That final word brought George out of his daze with a jolt. He couldn't believe the spoken words, but he suddenly remembered where he knew this Pirate from, and so George spat the name.

"Mitchell."

George thought a more personal brawl was about to break out. But then suddenly there was a scream and a blast and George was suddenly in the water with a loud ringing in his ears.

*/*/*

Treading water George looked around in confusion and was glad to see that at least three other Lost Boys were looking confused at the abrupt change.

Then Stubby and Margaret were helping the rest make it back to land, when they arrived on the sand, there was a cacophony of questions about what happened. Angela curled herself up, trying to warm her wet clothes "It was Peter, he saved us."

Apparently; something had happened causing Peter to trip, but while he was down he had seen how in danger the rest of his crew were. Being the hero of the story, he had decided to make a sacrifice. Peter had then tricked the fighters into a corner and set off one of the cannons – blowing up a side of the ship and causing all the Lost Boys (and girls), and some of the pirates to be blown into the water.

An adult would question the safety and validity of the plan. But children know this sort of thing always works.

Margaret stood gazing at the ship that was sailing away. Something scared in her eyes. An argument broke out between Specs and Wit about how they were to save Peter. Scruff and Cubby started checking Angela and Eliza, and then joining in the argument – each child had a different way of how Peter should be saved.

Mouse slid his small hand into Mother-Margaret's and softly asked "We are going to save Peter aren't we, Mother?"

"Of course, we are … but first we need to get into dry clothes. I don't want you children catching chills."

No one noticed that George wasn't speaking. Or maybe they did, but maybe they just assumed he was just worried about Peter. After all Eliza was jumpy and even Angela seemed worried. They arrived back at the hideout, George pulled on his coat and made a vague sound of agreement to whatever question Scruff asked and then snuck out to the little Wendy-House.

George went there; because that was the only place that had any mirrors. George gazed at one, seeing the face he thought he knew. A boy's face, slightly grubby, a few freckles, eyes usually alight with wanting to learn/discover/solve … George looked at the face that felt like his; and remembered what it was to feel like … like himself.

Then the voices started.

"That's not a boy! SHE is a girl. A girl pretending to be a boy. Georgina."

Georgina – that name kept repeating itself through George's mind; cruel voices echoing throughout the mind. And with it; the boy's face in the mirror changed; Light brown hair fell in gentle waves to just below the shoulders, framing a heart-shaped face. It was a face that some could almost consider as 'pretty'.

It was a pleasant 'girls' face, but it was wrong as George's.

George's mind was swirling chaotically as thoughts, voices and images swarmed around. The girl with long hair – because her mother liked it, the boy who entered an extreme contest to try and impress a princess, the girl who was as rough and tough as any boy, but who didn't, couldn't relate to even the most tom-boy of girls. The boy who felt free. The voices chanting mockingly 'Georgina. Georgina. Georgina."

SMASH

George looked down; a hand clenched in a fist, pressed against the now cracked mirror. Red dripped down passed the knuckles. Tears of anger, confusion and fear were prickling at the corners of George's eyes. George looked down at the now broken mirror, and never felt more reflected and just as fractured.

"Georgie-Cub! Are you in here?"

"George is everything alrig- Oh my goodness! Are you okay?!"

It was Angela and Margaret, and upon seeing the blood on George's hand, Margaret rushed to check George over. George stood there numbly, letting her confirm that the cuts were only shallow, and that there was no glass inside the cuts. Eventually George found a voice "I broke your mirror."

"George … I don't care about the mirror; I care about you. What happened?"

"I … Am I a girl?"

"What?"

"The Pirate boy who made you sad … Mitchell … he said I was a girl. But I would know if I were a girl … wouldn't I? I am a boy, right?"

The sisters exchanged understanding and sad looks, Angela then snuggled into George's side, leaving Margaret to give an answer.

"Oh Sweetheart. The thing is – the name you were given when you were born was 'Georgina Anne Darling'. You were born with the body of a female, but George you are most definitely a boy. You are a boy in heart, in mind and in your soul. You just … you were just born into the wrong body, that's all. But you are a boy."

"How do you know?"

"Because you know. Because here in Neverland; when being treated as a boy, you have been more comfortable in your own skin than I have ever seen."

Angela piped up "Neverland brings out who people really are."

Margaret nodded "Yes. There are gender laws that Neverland obeys – and you George, you naturally follow all the rules of males in Neverland, you behave far more differently than we females. And if you don't believe me, answer me something.

Take a moment to think – when do you feel most true to yourself, not happiest, but the most 'true' version of yourself. When you are treated as Georgina, or as George?"

George knew the instinctual response, but did as asked, and actually thought through the question. He remembered the feelings from before – of something amiss in the body, of not wanting to look in mirrors, of just the overall sense of wrongness.

He remembered when Eliza and Margaret had chopped his hair, how upset they were, how freeing it felt to look in the mirror and see the face that matched the personality. How finally he felt like himself. The fact that in George's own mind, George was using male pronouns; it felt more natural and not as forced as thinking 'she' about George.

And that was the answer George needed. George did not feel like 'herself', George felt like himself, because he was. He was George darling, sometimes known as Cub, and he was a boy – in his heart, his mind and his soul.

Angela saw the answer on George's face and patted his cheek. "See, you've always been a boy. Now come on," She leapt up enthusiastically "We've got to come up with a plan to save Peter!"

Angela danced across the room, but then she stopped, she paled to an ashen grey colour then she fell to the floor in pain.

*/*/*

At that exact moment, Mitchell watched in dawning horror as Captain Hook revealed his true intentions and nefarious plan. And Peter Pan collapsed into the darkening Fairy Dust.

End of Chapter Eighteen.

*/*/*

Author's Note:

Here this chapter ends.

Thanks to 'Going on and on and on'

Thanks to all readers of this story.

I thank you all for your patience.

Date - Wednesday 9th October 2019